Ingka Group, the largest owner of IKEA stores, has announced a deal to acquire supply chain software firm Made4Net for an undisclosed sum.

Via its subsidiary Ingka Investments, the group which owns and operates 482 IKEA stores and e-commerce in 31 countries said that the acquisition of Made4Net would help fuel major expansion in the US.

Ingka said that the Made4Net omnichannel fulfilment solution will be deployed across IKEA stores and fulfilment points to modernise and future proof omnichannel operations, with Ingka set to increase investment in Made4net's product innovation, customer support resources, and global market position.

In addition to its omnichannel solution, Made4Net offers a cloud-based Warehouse Management System (WMS) and end-to-end supply chain execution software. Its software analyses warehouses, worker productivity and delivery routes to find efficiency gains and room to cut costs.

Made4net will continue to operate as an independent subsidiary from its headquarters in New Jersey, US and its six global offices. It will also continue to serve its existing customers such as H&M, DHL and Uber.

Tolga Öncu, head of retail, Ingka Group, said: "Our business currently requires a better fulfilment operations system with more accurate data that better supports handling for our customers. Our goal is to become leaders of life at home, serving more people in an omnichannel reality, whenever and however customers choose to meet us."

Duff Davidson, Made4net chief exec added: "The Made4net platform has had a long customer track record for fast implementation and the ability to pivot quickly with changing business and market dynamics. We're excited to expand those capabilities for all of our customers through the increased backing of Ingka and also look forward to transforming the future of unified commerce by helping IKEA's global retail network deliver on its omnichannel fulfilment vision."

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